Guardian Spirit

Chapter 1

(3085 C.D.)

A lonely roe deer grazed at the sunlight bathed clearing. A small breeze swayed the tree branches, filling the air with the rustling of the leaves. Summer was at its prime and nature was blooming. The birds were hurrying around to gather food for their fledglings, their singing and chirping creating a concert of voices. The grass covering the clearing was thick and long and the occasional patches of silver grass and flowers added bright spots of colour to all the greenness.

A young elf sneaked to the edge of the clearing and observed the roe closely from behind a bush. The elf’s green cape, pants and tunic blended with the forest almost seamlessly, but failed to hide the feminine figure of the elf. Only the golden brown locks of hair that had slipped from under the capes hood showed against the forests greenness.

The roe had not noticed her. Nala went through her father's teachings in her head and looked around for the best path to approach the roe. She soon noticed a path — sheltered by thick patches of hay and covered by thick moss — that seemed to be easily passable. A small breeze blew across the clearing, from the roe towards Nala. She quickly secured the sword and dagger that hung from her belt and made sure they wouldn’t accidentally cause a rustle. The young elf nodded to herself and slowly and silently started sneaking from the bush towards the roe.

The path she had chosen offered her cover and led her over soft patches of moss that would silence her footsteps. Her movement was so silent that the voices of the forest drowned out any small noises she made. A gust of wind threw back the hood of her cape and revealed her long, golden brown hair and the delicate face that was so typical of elves. The high cheekbones, pointed ears, narrow face, all trade marks of an elf. Nala pushed a lock of hair behind her pointed ears and looked at the roe with her almond shaped, green-blue eyes. The animal had not noticed her and continued its grazing.

The roe was only five feet away when Nala stepped astray on a dry twig. The loud snap alerted the roe. It quickly raised its head, noticed Nala and ran off to the shelter provided by the surrounding forest. The young elf was left at the clearing to curse her bad luck.

At the opposite edge of the clearing an older elf let out a small chuckle. There was no denying the girl was skilled for her age, but she still suffered from the lack of concentration and observation skills. The young elf was only approaching her fortieth birthday and was still considered to be a child by her own kind, but the older elf knew she was already moving better than many experienced forest guardians.

The older elf stepped out into the clearing and walked to Nala who was still looking after the roe.

”What went wrong?” the older elf asked carelessly.

The young elf quickly spun towards the voice. She had not heard a single sound as the master guardian had walked to her. Granted, it could have been the fact that she was so focused on the roe, but she found it more likely that there had simply been nothing for her to hear. She knew the skills of her teacher were still far above hers.

“I was below the wind, just like you’ve told me so many times, and moved like you have taught me. I observed the ground before me, but I still didn’t see the twig.” The young elf looked at her father a bit frustrated. Her father still looked young, despite being several hundreds of years old. His long brown hair was tied behind his head in a ponytail and his brown eyes were lively and gave him an image of cheerfulness. ”I should have succeeded. I was so close that I could have touched the roe with my fingertips.”

”And that’s why you failed,” her father said. ”Your mind was on the roe instead of your next step.” Ameter put his hand on her daughters shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze. He was almost a foot taller than her. ”You’re still young and your mind wanders. You’ll succeed, once your mind has settled down and you’ve had more practice.”